The Time of Her Life (Hopefully)
by LOTRhart
Summary: What started out as a date to the prom gets serious when Peach and Mario head to an alcoholic after-party. Rated T for cursing, minimal violence, alcohol, and being just plain dark. Laudete lector cavete (Latin for: "Let the reader beware"). Please review! I'd love to get some more advice! My first ever fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever Fanfic- hope you all enjoy it! Hint: things may not go as planned in later chapters!**

Peach scowled at her reflection in the mirror.

_Orange really isn't my color. _She thought to herself, putting her hands on her hips, and blowing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Stop huffing!" whined Daisy, flopping down onto Peach's bright pink bed. Daisy had been watching Peach try on dress after dress to no avail for more than an hour. She was itching to just run outside into the hall and then outdoors, just to be away from Peach's frantic searching for a perfect dress.

"You're not the one going to prom without anything to wear!" cried Peach, throwing Daisy a threatening glare. Then her expression softened, seeing how excruciatingly bored Daisy was. Peach sighed.

"Fine, you can go, Daisy. Only, you owe me now, got it?" said Peach.

"Oh, thank god!" shrieked Daisy, scrambling out of the room. Peach could hear her stumbling down the hallway, and smiled to herself as she heard Toad yelling.

_Daisy should know by now that Toad won't accept the fact that a princess can run in a civilized manner if she wants to! He wants them to walk with small footsteps._

Peach sighed again, and, dropping the lime green strapless dress she had been holding, walked over to her closet, and began rummaging through the hangers, searching for something pink. All the other colors just didn't… fit. In any other color, Peach didn't look like Peach. And not in a good way- different looking in a bad way.

Suddenly, she found what she was looking for. A small spaghetti strap dress that went to just above her knees, a low neckline, with a flowing skirt beginning at her natural waistline.

_Perfect. A bit flashy, a bit naïve, and very simple It's absolutely perfect! _Peach glanced at the clock.

_Good timing, too- it's an hour before Mario picks me up. I hope he's not driving a bullet bike!_

Peach giggled in anticipation. Her first prom! She was amazed that Mario- the slender junior- THE most popular boy at school- had chosen her! Sure, she was the princess and everything, but that didn't mean she would be popular. She knew many princes and princesses who were loathed, such as Princess Cathie. She was very much disliked, not because she was the princess of Cantara, but because she was just snobby in general. Being a princess didn't matter much at Kingdoms United School for the Rich, because many were much more wealthy than the royalty, although being royal did gain you some respect.

No, being a princess hadn't inclined Mario toward her, though it didn't hurt. In fact, he had said that she was just so pretty, in a subtle sort of way, and he had wanted to snatch her up before anyone else did. Now that was a good pick up line- it had sure made Peach blush, for it implied that other boys liked her as well, and perhaps so much that they had spoken about their lust to other people.

Adding the fact that she was just a 14-year-old freshman… well then, you can see why the whole situation had surprised Peach. But she still couldn't wait, for she saw no reason that the situation would be unlikely, just surprising.

Peach went to the bathroom and put on the dress. It was shorter than she had expected- reaching to only about her mid thigh- but it was still extremely flattering on her. She dabbed makeup here and there, and put on silver earrings that looked like tinsel hanging from her ears. They matched the silver trim on the dress perfectly. Peach put on silver stiletto heels and put her hair into a complicated ponytail, and added some silver eye shadow for effect. Altogether, she looked attractive to the teeth.

_Oh! I should probably freshen my breath- just in case. _Though Peach, grabbing a peppermint from her bedside table and popping it into her mouth.

Suddenly, she heard a horn honking down in the castle drive through. Daisy slammed open the door, saying,

"C'mon Peach! Mario and Luigi are waiting for us!"

As they ran down the stairs, Peach got a good look at what Daisy was wearing;

An orange long sleeved dress that went down to her knees, 2 inch black heels, amethyst studs in her ears, and a long purple bow around her waist. Altogether, she pulled off the look quite well.

Once outside, Peach saw that in the red sports car Mario was driving, both the boys were wearing dashing tuxes with adorable little top hats. Mario and Luigi were most certainly a pair- almost exactly the same, really. Both were lean and healthy, and both were dark haired and blue eyed. The only difference was in their skin color. Mario was a shade tanner than Luigi. Another difference was that Luigi's nose was long and sharp, while Mario's was rather large and strong. Other than that, they were identical. And Peach supposed that Mario was an inch or two shorter, but at this point, you couldn't really tell.

"Ready to go?" asked Mario in his slight Italian accent, winking at Peach while opening the door for her.

"Of course I am! Let's go!" said Peach, giggling in excitement.

Mario beamed. As soon as Daisy was situated in the back with Luigi, they drove off to what was obviously going to be the time of Peach's life. Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Shout out to frogger929 and James Birdsong- it's nice to know that someone read the story and put an effort into writing a comment. Anyway, you guys all owe me one because I'm writing this about 45 minutes before my en pointe class. So yeah, just read now. Sorry that it's kinda short- I didn't have much time.**

The car was surprisingly fast, and Peach was soon desperately trying to hold down her floaty skirt. She glanced over at Mario, and saw how much fun he was having, though she didn't know why. Surely he couldn't be enjoying the fact that her skirt was flying up, could he? If he was… that pervert. But somehow, Peach couldn't fathom Mario, the boy of her dreams, being _that_ type of boy.

Finally, the little Italian sports car pulled up to Kingdoms United School for the Rich (KUR), and they all saw that the school was decorated in the school colors- pink and yellow. That was to represent the founders of the school, who happened to be Peach and Daisy's fathers. Kings of Sarasaland and the Mushroom Kingdom had been very chummy in those days, so they made an exclusive school for the smart and the rich ONLY.

Daisy squealed with delight and hopped out of the car, not bothering to open the door. Mario gentlemanly opened the door for Peach, and escorted her to the door.

_How sweet and kind he is… I'm so happy he chose to ask me to come to prom with him!_

Mario led Peach, Daisy, and Luigi into the main hallways, where people looked over at them and greeted them in excited, friendly voices.

"Hey Mario!"

"I didn't know you were coming tonight, Daisy!"

"Are you guys, like, a couple now?"

"Oh my gosh! I love your dress, Peach!"

"Luigi! Is that a top hat? So cute!"

Mario basked in the attention, Luigi ignored it for the most part, and Daisy and Peach sort of stayed to the side, not speaking unless spoken to. They both knew that this was a daily thing for Mario and Luigi, but they had never actually experienced it, not in their lives!

_I suppose this is what it will be like when I'm the queen of the Mushroom Kingdom… _though Peach, smiling as they walked down into the gym, where pounding music could be heard.

As they entered the gym, Daisy whooped. The Fungus Fun-Guys were the band playing all the music, and they happened to be Daisy's favorite band. Peach knew for a fact that Daisy had a crush on the lead singer, Danny Toadly. Although he was half- toad, that didn't really bother her. The only way you could tell he was half toad was because of the hat he always wore, the signature red hat with white polka dots that only toadlings could pull off. And boy, did he pull it off well.

Luigi, noticing that Daisy was distracted by the attractive lead singer, abruptly grabbed her hand and put a hand on her waist. Soon they were dancing, and they disappeared into the crowd of teenagers.

Mario soon followed example, and Peach and he were dancing in no time. Peach had never had so much fun. They danced and danced and danced for hours, just enjoying themselves. Peach had to learn how to dance to a pop band; she had only ever danced ballroom. But Mario was patient, and showed her how to turn, jump, grind, and flail. She caught on quickly.

At about 10:30, the Fungus Fun- Guys started to add in more slow songs, one by one. During their song, "Luma's in the Sky", Mario began to slow dance with Peach. Peach waltzed from side to side, her hands on Mario's back and arm. Suddenly, she felt one of his hands sliding to her lower back. She shuddered uncomfortably, and his hand slid lower onto her behind.

Peach looked at Mario, and said, "Hands above the equator, and eyes up soldier!" in a distinctively authoritative voice. In the voice of a queen.

Mario started, and did as she had told him.

_Why did he do that?_ pondered Peach. _Is it because he loves me, and wants to be more intimate? Or because he's just lustful? I hope with all my heart it's the former, and not the latter._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So glad that so many of you like the story! Thanks for being so sweet. Also, if you like this, then take a look at Clockwork Pikachu's stuff. She's pretty epic, and she's one of my BFFs.**

At about 1:00, things in the gym started slowing down. People were slowly trickling away, yelling goodbyes to their friends over the pounding music. Many people headed to after- parties at the mansions nearby, which could be rented out. Only one of the mansions was being used, though- Rosa's Riviera. The largest of them all, with a pool and terrace and stocked with food. It was where all the popular kids were heading, so all their gangs would tag along, so all the underlings would soon follow suit. Everyone would be there.

Peach and Mario continued dancing, though, with Daisy and Luigi right at their sides. They weren't tired in the least.

"Hey Daisy!" yelled Luigi, tapping her bouncing shoulder. "Let's go to Rosa's mansion! There'll be more dancing there, and more people!"

"Sure thing!" Daisy yelled back. Then she looked at Peach and Mario and said, "You guys wanna come, too? It'll be fun!"

Mario looked at Peach, then nodded. All four strutted out, and made an example of themselves by getting in the little red Italian car, and driving to the mansion. Almost everyone followed them, and there was a procession of teens heading toward the rental mansion area, singing and whooping.

When they got to the mansion, Mario grabbed Daisy and Peach's hands, and dragged them inside. It was even louder in the mansion than in the gym at United Kingdoms High. Bowser and the Goombas were screaming into mics all over the stage set up in the living room, and everyone was jumping to the beat around them.

Mario made a beeline to the dance floor, and grabbed Peach's waist. They danced and danced, occasionally switching partners. After awhile, Peach found herself dancing with Wario, the lesser known cousin of Mario.

"What's a babe like you doin' with a punk like Mario?" said Wario, raising his eyebrows for effect.

"Why do you ask?" said Peach, cautiously; she had heard terrible rumors about Wario.

"'Cuz he's a no- good rascally bad- boy, and you're… not at all like that." said Wario. Truth lay in his eyes, and somehow, Peach knew that she could trust those eyes.

"Really?" asked Peach. "I always thought YOU were the bad- boy!"

"That's what everyone thinks, 'cuz of Mario. I was Momma Mario's favorite boy. Of course, he couldn't stand that, with his ego so bad, so he started slippin' glutton pills into my food. Still does, a course. I tried to tell someone, but by then, everyone started avoidin' me 'cuz of how big I was. That's when he started spreadin' rumors 'bout me. That I was rude, flatulent, no- good… And eventually I just gave up. I started playin' the role he gave me. I have ever since."

"Oh Wario… I never knew…" said Peach, her wide eyes filling with tears.

"Don't cry for me, sweet heart. I don't like to see nice girls like you cry." Said Wario, gently squeezing her hand.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' SWEETHEART!?" yelled a heavily accented Italian voice behind Peach.

Wario and Peach turned and saw a very red- faced Mario. He was holding a large bottle of vodka, with almost nothing left in it. Peach gasped.

"Mario! Y-you're drunk!" she said, putting the hands on her hips in a motherly way.

Mario laughed, then pushed Peach aside, where she fell to the ground on her bum. Wario snarled at Mario, and said,

"Always the brat, Mario. Always with the inflated ego, always getting what he wants."

"Well, I know what YOU want, Wario!" cried Mario, pointing to Peach, "And I'll make sure that you don't get it!"

"This isn't about Peach, Mario! It's about what you've done to me, and what you _might_ do to her!" yelled Wario, glaring intensely at Mario.

Mario glared back, then grabbed Peach on the arm, and roughly pulled her up. Then, he grabbed her chin, pulled her face to his, and began to kiss her violently. Peach cried out in fear, trying and failing to push Mario away, but Mario had an iron grip around her waist.

Wario screamed in fury, and ripped Mario away from Peach, who was gasping for breath. Then Wario began to punch Mario's face and chest, over and over. That's when it got bad. Real bad.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is DRAMATIC! I loved writing it- so much fun. HINT: Wario isn't safe yet!**

Wario and Mario circled each other, eyes narrowed. Peach shuddered, watching the brawl. She couldn't decide why they were fighting. Was it because of her, like Mario said, or because of their childhood rivalry, like Wario had said. Peach came to the conclusion that it was a combination of both.

Peach's chain of thought was abruptly interrupted when she saw Wario swing a fist out at Mario. If Mario hadn't been drunk as heck, he would've easily avoided Wario. As it was, however, Mario had no chance at all.

Wario's uppercut hit Mario under the chin with such a force that Mario flew backwards into the crowd. Mario ran back, blood streaming down his face, livid in a drunken rage. He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a fire flower. The crowd around them gasped as Mario ate the flower.

Wario began to back away from Mario, fury continuing to mingle in his fearful gaze.

"Peach is mine!" screamed Mario, shooting a ball of flame above Wario's head. "People love me! You are nothing but a flatulent troll!"

Wario quivered with sorrow, hearing those words that had once made him so sad, and realizing that those words would never leave him.

"Fine!" Wario yelled into the silence.

"Fine! If that's what everyone thinks, then I see no point in being _here_ at all! I wish I were never born! So farewell, all you freaking _wonderful_ people!"

Wario stormed out of the mansion, his fist clenched in anger, tears beginning to peak out of his eyes. Peach slumped back to the ground, sobbing. Mario walked to her, and put an arm on her shoulder, saying,

"I'm sorry he was such a jerk to you, Peach…"

Peach looked up at Mario, fire in her gaze. She ripped his hand off of her shoulder, and said, venom dripping in her voice,

"YOU THINK _HE_ WAS A JERK TO _ME_!? YOU IDIOTIC ASS! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU _DID _TO HIM? YOU RUINED HIS LIFE BECAUSE YOU'RE PERFECT LITTLE EGO COULDN'T STAND THE FACT THAT YOUR MOTHER LIKED HIM BETTER! YOU WANNA KNOW _WHY _SHE LIKED HIM BETTER!? THE SAME REASON WHY _I _LIKE HIM BETTER! BECAUSE HE IS HONEST, CARING, AND TRIES TO DO GOOD. _YOU _ARE AN EGOMANIAC, A SELFISH SNOB, AND AN ASSHOLE!" screamed Peach, standing up and leaning over Mario.

Mario cowered beneath her, and began crying. He whispered,

"It's true, I know it…"

"No you don't. That's why I can't stay with you." Peach shoved Mario away from her, and turned to Luigi and Daisy, saying,

"We're going. I'm too tired."

"Alright, let's go then." said Daisy, very gently pushing Peach along, Luigi on her other side.

But Mario wasn't done. Furious at Peach for deserting him, HIM, the most popular boy in school, he grabbed his bottle of vodka, ran behind Peach, and slammed the bottle against her head.

Peach fell to the floor, bleeding and unconscious... the darkness surrounded her...


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: the dramatic ending. Hope you enjoy it- I almost started to cry!**

When Peach awoke, she felt like her head was filled with cotton balls. Slowly, she raised a hand to her aching head, and felt cloth bandages wrapped around her head. Then Peach let her hand flop back down to the bed. The bed was soft, not as much as her own bed, which is how the Princess knew that she wasn't in her own bed or room. The sound of hushed voices in the room made her head ache even worse.

Suddenly, footsteps came close to the bed. Using all the strength she had left, Peach opened her eyes. In front of her, sitting in a little wooden chair, was Daisy.

"How are you?" said Daisy, smiling to see her awake.

"Alright, but my head aches." said Peach in a ragged voice.

"Are you well enough to talk for awhile?" asked Daisy, looking intently at Peach.

"Yes, I believe so. I'm tired, and my head hurts, but everything else seems to be fine." replied Peach, smiling reassuringly at Daisy.

_Something's wrong. _thought Peach, _Daisy is never this caring or civilized. But I'd better play along, or she'll never tell me what she's hiding._

"Did you and Luigi get together officially?" asked Peach sweetly.

"Oh yes! He was very polite about it, too. I'm very glad that we're together, because he's so sweet, and I love that in a man." gushed Daisy.

"Yes, and he's so delicate; he needs someone strong like you to keep him with a purpose and a backbone." said Peach.

Daisy nodded knowingly.

"How is Mario?" asked Peach, lowering her voice.

That got Daisy. She sat there, as if frozen, and stared at Peach, a concerned expression on her face.

"How much… do you remember?" Daisy asked after a couple more seconds.

"I remember that Wario and Mario were arguing…" but Peach stopped there, because at the sound of Wario's name, Daisy had started crying.

"Oh Daisy, I know you're hiding something! Tell me what happened! Wario- is he alright?" cried Peach, staring at Daisy in fear of what may have happened.

"Peach…" moaned Daisy into her hands. "Peach… this may come as a shock… it was to me, and I didn't even know him very well…"

Peach froze, listening to every word.

"Peach… Wario is dead."

Peach remained frozen in her bed.

"After Mario had hit you with the bottle, he started threatening all of us. Hearing the truth from you, one of his admirerers, someone who had been wrapped around his finger… It threw him over the edge. The Kingdom Police had to take him away. I guess Wario heard the noise, so he came back to see what was happening."

Daisy took a deep breath.

"He saw you lying on the floor in a pool of blood and… he freaked out. He thought you were dead. We tried to tell him that you were fine, that you were just unconscious but… he wouldn't listen. He just ran outside. We let him run because we were busy trying to carry you to the hospital or something… something _stupid_ like that…"

Daisy wiped another tear from her eye and continued.

"Two days ago they found him… He was lying on the banks of the great Mushroom Channel. They think he jumped into the river from the dock down the street. Oh Peach- I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do…"

But Peach was still just sitting there, and didn't respond. So Daisy left.


	6. Chapter 6

…5 years later…

Peach visited Mario. He was in the ward specifically for those too unstable to live in the outside world. He was wearing a paper gown with flowers printed on it. He sucked his thumb and was continuously glancing around, as if expecting the walls to suddenly start screaming at him. If they did, they would tell him how much better Wario was than himself.

In spite of herself, Peach began to cry. Silent tears fell down her hollow cheeks, flowing from her dull blue eyes, marked by dark purple shadows. She was just as much of a mess as he was, to say the least.

She then excused herself, and left.

Later, she went and visited Luigi and Daisy, as well as their son, Welly. Peach always liked visiting them, because Welly could always bring a smile to her chapped lips, and bring a small sparkle to her eyes. Daisy was a help as well, as she knew what Peach was going through. Her father had recently died, and Daisy felt that if she had sent for a doctor in time, he may have lived. So they both felt the guilt and the sorrow.

Peach couldn't stay for long, so she left.

Eventually, she found herself at the great Mushroom Channel, and stared out into the murky depths. Snow began to fall onto her greasy, stringy hair. Her eyes stared blankly out.

_I need to understand what happened before I can heal. That's what everyone says._

Suddenly, the door opened, and a large woman entered. She looked like Mario, only female.

"Good day Princess Peach." said Momma Mario.

No reply.

"I s'pose you'll be wondering why I'm here, then?" said Momma Mario, her thick Italian accent making it hard to understand her.

"I'm here to tell you why Mario is such a… well, a little jerk, I guess. It's because I loved Wario, his cousin, more than him. And I'll tell ya why, too! Because Wario was so much sweeter than my own little brat was. And I knew Wario better, which meant that he could tell me things. Of course, I trusted him. But the truth is that Mario loved you, Peach. Wario figured it out, so he told you lies, and he wooed you. Mario asked you to the prom out of true love. So you see, it's your fault. It's my fault. Mario didn't do anything, it was all Wario's demented humor. And you fell for it. Just like I did. Wario did it to make Mario jealous, and to throw him off the edge by having his true love, _you_, go on Wario's side. Just like I did. Wario has been putting people important to Mario against Mario all his life. It's nothing new. But I think that when Wario realized that his deeds may have killed someone, he just lost it. That's why he did what he did. He went crazy with guilt."

Momma Mario sighed contentedly, and Peach flinched.

"It feels good to have told someone. And I'm glad that you know. It may help you in the end."

**A/N: this might be the ending, it might not be. tell me what you guys think should happen next- I'm almost out of ideas!**


End file.
